- Putin Says Russia Will Respond in Kind if EU Nations Seize Russian Vessels
Source: US News & World Report
“Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Russia will respond in kind if European countries seize ussian merchant vessels, the TASS state news agency reported. The comments come as the EU intensifies pressure on Russia’s so-called shadow fleet, expanding sanctions against hundreds of vessels and detaining some ships and their crews for checks. Some European governments have said they are exploring tougher maritime enforcement measures against ships suspected of sanctions evasion.” (08/12/26)
- Federal judge dismisses DOJ discrimination lawsuit against Minneapolis Public Schools
Source: CBS News
“A judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division against Minneapolis Public Schools that alleged the district violated Title VII by discriminating against teachers based on their race, gender and national origin, court records show. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota in December, claiming that teachers of color and ‘underrepresented’ teachers get preferential treatment in employment decisions due to a provision in the collective bargaining agreement between the teachers’ union and the district. … U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz wrote in his order that the lawsuit must be dismissed since the union was not an included party. The Department of Justice did not include the union in the claim due to federal law stating the U.S. attorney general can only bring lawsuits alleging a practice of discrimination against governmental entities, but not against private entities like labor unions.” (08/12/26)
- New Zealand: Luxon survives party vote that exposes cracks ahead of election
Source: Reuters
“New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon survived a confidence vote on Wednesday, seeing off a leadership challenge from his defence minister that exposed growing rifts in his National Party less than three months before a tight election. The bid by Chris Penk was the year’s second public test for Luxon, boosting concern over disquiet in his centre-right party as it struggles in opinion polls and fuelling fresh doubts about his grip on power ahead of the November 7 election. Luxon moved swiftly after the vote, sacking Penk from his defence, intelligence, space and building portfolios.” (08/12/26)
- MN: Republicans choose Demuth over Lindell in gubernatorial primary
Source: Forbes
“MyPillow founder Mike Lindell lost to Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth in Tuesday’s GOP Gubernatorial primary for the state, while the Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar comfortably secured her party’s nomination in a state where the Democrats are heavily favored to win November’s general election. … The Associated Press called the race for Demuth at 11:26 p.m. ET as the state speaker had secured 43.6% of the 93% of the votes counted. Lindell, who was backed by President Donald Trump, came a distant second with 32.3%% of the votes.” (08/12/26)
- North Korea: Regime conducts second ballistic missile test in less than a week
Source: France 24 [French state media]
“North Korea on Wednesday performed its second ballistic missile test in less than a week, its neighbours said, a likely protest of the upcoming South Korea-US military drills that North Korea views as an invasion rehearsal. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said a ballistic missile fired from the North’s eastern coastal Wonsan area around 6 a.m. flew more than 700 kilometres (435 miles). The Japanese Defence Ministry also detected the launch, saying the weapon landed in waters outside its exclusive economic zone, between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. The launches, within days of each other, were seen as part of North Korea’s extended run of weapons tests as the country has refused to return to talks with the US and South Korea for years.” (08/12/26)
- DOJ opinion extends executive privilege to president’s communications with private advisers
Source: The Hill
“A new Department of Justice (DOJ) memo argues the president can assert executive privilege not just over communications with his White House staff, but also with ‘private advisors’ outside of government, an interpretation that would broaden the number of people President Trump could try to shield from congressional investigations. The Monday opinion from the DOJ’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) isn’t binding but nonetheless signals the Trump administration is thinking about how to respond to an expected bevy of investigations into the White House should Democrats retake the House. Traditionally, the president may assert executive privilege over communications only with executive branch staff. But the OLC argues the counsel the president might get from those outside the government could be just as important to the White House and also merits protection.” (08/11/26)
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/6022381-doj-executive-privilege-outside-advisers/
- Trump’s “National Socialism” Agenda
Source: CounterPunch
by David Rosen“The process of corporate nationalization evolved over the last nearly two decades. In 2008, Pres. George W. Bush signed the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), a $700 billion bailout of the financial services industry in the face of what was dubbed the ‘Great Recession.’ In 2009, the Obama administration directly intervened in the auto industry through the Automotive Industry Financing Program (AIFP), investing approximately $80 billion into the auto industry, including General Motors and Stellantis (i.e., Chrysler). Reich stresses that the Trump 2.0 regime has escalated federal investment in – and equity ownership of – traditionally private corporations.” (08/12/26)
https://www.counterpunch.org/2026/08/12/trumps-national-socialism-agenda/
- When US left Afghanistan, China moved in. So how’s it going?
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Giorgio Cafiero“When the Taliban reclaimed power five years ago, China appeared poised to capitalize on Afghanistan’s new realities. Beijing quickly took important steps to establish de facto relations with the Islamic Emirate, such as keeping its embassy open in Kabul, maintaining direct ties with Taliban leaders, and expanding political and security cooperation. In January 2024, Xi Jinping became the first head of state to accept credentials from a Taliban-appointed ambassador. Many analysts latched onto these moves as evidence that China would quickly assert great influence in Afghanistan after the hasty U.S. withdrawal in August 2021. Yet Beijing has pursued a far more cautious course, stopping short of formal recognition, which China sees as a bargaining chip for possible future use.” (08/12/26)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/afghanistan-china-taliban/
- Greg Abbott Abandons Free Enterprise with Texas AI Energy Regulations
Source: Karl Dickey’s Freedom Vanguard
by Karl Dickey“What is going on in Texas? For all the talk that Texas Governor Greg Abbott is a principled Republican, he certainly reversed his free-market stance when it came to AI and hyperscale data center projects once polling showed how unpopular they are with his base. Abbott signed an executive directive requiring all kinds of roadblock-style regulations before any AI data centers can connect to the state’s grid. I am not saying it is right or wrong; I am just pointing out Abbott’s failure on the issue. Though I would suggest that government-managed energy monopolies and corporate tax subsidies always distort the free market, and he should just stand aside.” (08/12/26)
https://palmbeachexaminer.substack.com/p/greg-abbott-abandons-free-enterprise
- The New Apologists for American Empire
Source: Antiwar.com
by Edward Hunt“Despite the fact that Trump campaigned against endless war and the White House issued a National Security Strategy that rejected ‘global domination,’ the Trump administration celebrated the nation’s two-hundred-and-fiftieth anniversary by glorifying empire as one of the country’s highest achievements. Administration officials praised moments in U.S. history when U.S. leaders embraced empire, such as when Thomas Jefferson and John Adams spoke in favor of an ’empire of liberty’ and Theodore Roosevelt acted to take Panama. At a time when many people in the country were reflecting on the ideals of liberty and equality that Jefferson had emphasized in the Declaration of Independence, the Trump administration glorified the country’s imperial history, creating a rationale for Empire First.” (08/12/26)
https://original.antiwar.com/edward_hunt/2026/08/11/the-new-apologists-for-american-empire
- NATO? Just Say No!
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Angelo Monaco“A foundational premise of libertarian theory is straightforward: meaningful fiscal restraint is impossible while maintaining a global empire. For decades, federal budgets have bloated under the weight of an expansive foreign policy that treats the American military not as a lean, defensive shield for domestic soil, but as a global guarantor of foreign security. Because overseas deployments, foreign bases, and entangling alliances account for a massive portion of discretionary federal outlays, any serious effort to slash government spending, eliminate deficit-funded inflation, and reduce the tax burden on individual citizens must start at the water’s edge. True fiscal responsibility requires dismantling the garrison state, abandoning the pretense of global policing, and bringing American military forces back entirely within our own borders. From this perspective, America’s commitment to NATO functions as a massive, continuous transfer of assets seized from U.S. taxpayers to foreign governments.” (08/12/26)
- Being a Veteran Is Not Enough
Source: The Dispatch
by Mike Nelson“Military service alone doesn’t qualify anyone for office—nor excuse misconduct.” (08/12/26)
https://thedispatch.com/article/veteran-war-politician-platner-kerry/
- How Trump Can Break the Iran Logjam
Source: The American Conservative
by Andrew Day“Time to face an uncomfortable truth: America lost the Iran War. It’s a development not only discomfiting but world-historical, marking the pitiful conclusion of American primacy and the ‘U.S.-led international order.’ President Donald Trump is in a bind. Escalating the war in hopes of changing the outcome would worsen its deleterious effects and almost certainly fail to force Iranian capitulation. But reaching a peace agreement is difficult, thanks to a near-total absence of Iranian trust in any commitments that Trump might make. The solution to Trump’s predicament, I’ve come to believe, can be found in an unlikely source: a little-discussed work of political psychology published more than a half century ago.” (08/12/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/how-trump-can-break-the-iran-logjam/
- The War on Drugs Has Come to the Maternity Ward
Source: Reason
by Tosin Akintola“At first glance, a new mother taking part in a drug screening seems reasonable. For the sake of the mother and child, a doctor performs a clinical test to rule out any complications or signs of risks to the newborn. But the story quickly takes a dark turn. If there’s a positive test result, it doesn’t stay between the doctor and the patient. In 24 states and Washington, D.C., a positive test alone is enough to initiate a child welfare report, according to a report by the Legislative Analysis and Public Policy Association. Depending on the state, that test could land the mother on a child abuse registry. Worse still, the mother may be notified the test has occurred only after the fact.” (08/11/26)
https://reason.com/2026/08/11/the-war-on-drugs-has-come-to-the-maternity-ward/
- Federal Social Service Spending Creates a Sense of Entitlement Among Bureaucrats
Source: Independent Institute
by Christopher J Calton“Last month, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) suspended funding to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), which quickly sued to block the decision. The controversy raises an important question: to what extent are local bureaucracies entitled to federal funds?” (08/11/26)
- Colorado sinking fast
Source: The Price of Liberty
by Nathan Barton“Colorado has been labeled as ‘increasingly blue’ for several decades. Not just the most recent governors (Hickenlooper and Polis) have been extremely liberal and left (‘Regressives’ as TPOL labels them), but the General Assembly (both houses) has had super-majority Democratic control for a long time as well. (Yes, the Colorado GOP is as much to blame for this, due to their own stupidity and lack of skills and internal cohesion, as the Colorado Democrats are. And don’t get us started on the worthlessness of the Colorado Libertarian Party.)” (08/11/26)
https://thepriceofliberty.org/2026/08/11/colorado-sinking-fast/
- The Kyle Anzalone Show, 08/11/26
Source: Libertarian Institute
“Trump EXPLODES Amid Iran War Debacle | Fauci’s Diary.” (08/11/26)
- Free Speech Unmuted, 08/11/26
Source: Hoover Institution
“Can AI Libel You? The Robby Starbuck Case | Eugene Volokh and Jane Bambauer.” (08/11/26)
- Pink Flame of Liberty, 08/11/26
Source: Pink Flame of Liberty
“Let’s watch the LPNH Disaffiliation Judicial Committee Hearing (and looking at new amici).” (08/11/26)